Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet Impala SS
Event Preview: Goody's Cool Orange 500
March 30, 2008 |
Martinsville Speedway |
Kevin Harvick’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Performance History at Martinsville Speedway:
|
Date |
Race |
Start |
Finish |
Laps Completed |
Total Laps |
Status |
Winnings |
|
10/21/07 |
Subway 500 |
3 |
10 |
506 |
506 |
Running |
$131,761 |
|
04/01/07 |
Goody's Cool
Orange 500 |
6 |
41 |
445 |
500 |
Running |
$114,911 |
|
10/22/06 |
Subway 500 |
12 |
9 |
500 |
500 |
Running |
$112,411 |
|
04/02/06 |
DirecTV 500 |
26 |
7 |
500 |
500 |
Running |
$115,011 |
|
10/23/05 |
Subway 500 |
29 |
15 |
500 |
500 |
Running |
$115,986 |
|
04/10/05 |
Advance Auto
Parts 500 |
5 |
32 |
436 |
500 |
Running |
$111,661 |
|
10/24/04 |
Subway 500 |
19 |
8 |
500 |
500 |
Running |
$101,903 |
|
04/18/04 |
Advance Auto
Parts 500 |
5 |
19 |
500 |
500 |
Running |
$97,403 |
|
10/19/03 |
Subway 500 |
5 |
7 |
500 |
500 |
Running |
$92,228 |
|
04/13/03 |
Virginia
500 |
29 |
16 |
499 |
500 |
Running |
$87,678 |
|
10/20/02 |
Martinsville
500 |
13 |
31 |
498 |
500 |
Running |
$81,903 |
|
04/14/02 |
#Virginia 500 |
DNS |
DNS |
DNS |
DNS |
DNS |
DNS |
|
10/14/01 |
Old Dominion 500 |
35 |
22 |
499 |
500 |
Running |
$77,677 |
|
04/08/01 |
Virginia
500 |
15 |
34 |
454 |
500 |
Running |
$76,627 |
|
Totals/Averages |
15.5 |
19.3 |
6,337 |
6,506 |
|
$1,317,160 |
|
NOTES:
This Week’s Race Car at Martinsville Speedway … Kevin Harvick will
pilot Chassis No. 242 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. This is
a brand new Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet Impala SS.
 Harvick
in the Loop …
Stat Facts … In 13 NASCAR Cup Series starts at the paper clip-shaped
oval, Harvick has five top-10 finishes. Additionally, “Happy” has led laps
during four of the events with the most coming in October 2004 when he led
104 laps and finished eighth.
Leading the Way … Harvick is one of only three drivers who have
completed all laps so far this season. Harvick’s RCR teammate Jeff Burton and
Greg Biffle are the other two. Additionally, the Bakersfield, Calif., native
has completed 86.4% of the total laps (1,338 of 1,548 laps) running in the
top 15 and ranks second of the drivers with the most laps ran on the lead lap
(1,541 of 1,548 laps).
Driver Rating … Harvick currently sits third (104.4) in NASCAR’s
Driver Racing rankings. The Driver Rating is a formula that combines the
following categories: wins, finishes, top-15 finishes, average running
position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most
laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum points a driver can earn in each
race is 150 points. The Driver Rating number is used pre-race as a prediction
tool and post-race as a performance evaluator.
The Year for Cheer … In five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races this
season, Harvick has earned two top-five and four top-10 finishes, including a
season-best second-place effort two weeks ago at Bristol Motor Speedway. The
Bakersfield, Calif., native is currently third in the NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series championship point standings and has completed 100 percent of the laps
contested this season. By comparison, he was fifth in points heading into
Martinsville’s first race last year and had one win (Daytona 500) but only
two top-10 finishes.
March Madness Picks … Harvick currently leads the
www.washingtonpost.com celebrity NCAA tournament pick challenge. The 2007
Daytona 500 winner has a 10-point lead over second place Dan Steinberg (Blogger,
D.C sports Bog) and 15 points over third place Michael Wilbon (Washington
Post Columnist and co-host of ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption”). Harvick has
the University of North Carolina (UNC) and University Memphis meeting in the
finals with UNC winning the National Championship.
Former Winner … Harvick is a former winner at Martinsville
Speedway, claiming victory in the 2006 NASCAR Nationwide Series Goody’s 250
on his way to capturing the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship.
Iron Man … Harvick has not recorded a DNF (did not finish) in 49
consecutive races. Harvick’s last DNF was at Dover in September (2006).
Additionally, he has run 88 consecutive point-paying races without crashing
out of a single one. Combined, Harvick has gone 156 points races in NASCAR’s
two top divisions without crashing out.
RCR at Martinsville … In 100 previous NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts
at Martinsville, RCR has earned three poles and posted six wins between Ricky
Rudd and Dale Earnhardt. Additionally, team owner Richard Childress has
earned 22 top-five and 39 top-10 finishes at the .526-mile paper clip-shaped
track dating back to April 10, 1972. Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s
top division, contributed four of those top 10s from 1976-1978.
Points Check … Harvick remains third in the NASCAR Sprint Cup point
standings after his second-place finish two weeks ago at Bristol Motor
Speedway. The 2007 Daytona 500 winner is 33 markers out of the lead and just
three points out of second. Additionally, the 32-year-old driver is currently
the highest Chevy driver in the point standings.
Up to Speed … Live coverage of the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 at
Martinsville Speedway will take the green flag Sunday, March 30 at 2 p.m.
Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and will be telecast on FOX. The event will also
be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite
Radio. Qualifying for sixth of 36 points-paying NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
races will air live on SPEED, MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio Friday, March 28
at 3:30 p.m. EDT.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
What is the best way to get around Martinsville?
“Martinsville is one of those tracks where you can be good all day long and
have something go wrong at the end. You have to make the car roll through the
tight corners and keeping the brakes on the car the entire race is very
important. Avoiding wrecks is another key to a successful day at
Martinsville. It’s a short track and things happen in a hurry. If we can stay
out of trouble, I think we have as good a chance as anyone.”
How do you feel about the start that the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Team has
gotten off to so far this season?
“If feels good. This is the best start we have ever had. As we have gone
through year, usually we have some hiccups, whether it is Vegas, Atlanta or
California. In the past, those always seemed to be hard spots for us to make
something happen. This year we have been fortunate to have test out there,
which went really well. All the races went really well. We just have to keep
it headed in the right direction. As long as we do good on the tracks we
normally do good on, we will be ok. The 1.5-mile stuff in the past has been
hard for us, so we feel like we have made that better and have to continue to
make it better.” |
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